About the KCS Practices v5 Certification

The KCS Practices v5 Certification is offered by The KCS Academy. The Practices v5 Certification designates individuals who demonstrate a thorough understanding of the KCS concepts including the Solve Loop, Evolve Loop and best practices for KCS adoption. The certification standards and exam are developed and maintained by a committee of members from the Consortium for Service Innovation.

The KCS Academy is the KCS certification body designated by the Consortium for Service Innovation (the owners of KCS). The Consortium does not acknowledge any KCS credentials or certifications other than those offered by the KCS Academy. For more information about the KCS Academy Certifications please visit the web site at http://www.thekcsacademy.net/.

Intended Audience

This certification is intended for individuals who require a thorough understanding of both the methodology and its adoption. This includes people who manage or advise on the adoption and continuous improvement of the KCS practices. This certification is also appropriate for product managers whose products align with or enable the KCS practices.

Individuals pursing KCS Practices Certification are:

Consultants

Program and project managers for KCS adoption

KCS adoption team members

Supervisors and first- and second-line managers

Product managers and architects for technology and tools that enable the KCS practices

Eligibility Requirements

There are no prerequisites to start the KCS Practices v5 Certification process.

To earn certification, a candidate will demonstrate that they have the knowledge necessary for a successful KCS adoption and optimization of the KCS results over time. More specifically, the KCS Practices v5 Certification covers the following:

The concepts and benefits of KCS

Dealing with frequently asked questions and common objections

A thorough understanding of the following:

Solve and Evolve loops

KCS roles

KCS measures

Best practices for adoption

Functional requirements for tools and tool integration

For more detail on what is covered in the Practices v5 Certification Exam see the “KCS Education and Reading List” later in this document.

Overview of the Process

Submit the “Practices v5 Certification Payment” form (left side navigation under “Certifications” click “Program Applications and Order Forms”)

Payment form processing and acceptance by the Academy

Read and study education and reading list below

Schedule the exam (instructions will be sent via email once your record is processed, 1-2 business days)

Renewal - Certification begins on the date of passing the online exam and ends one year after the KCS Academy releases the next iteration of KCS Practices certification. (v6 release is expected to be in early-mid 2016).

How to Complete the Online Application

All candidates must use The KCS Academy online credential management system to apply for certifications. This system enables you to track your certification progress, download forms, submit payments, access certification records, and add yourself to the credentials registry.

Once the certification payment is approved, the candidate has the responsibility to schedule and take the exam within one year. Within 1-2 business days of payment, the candidate will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to schedule the exam.

Certification Fees

Certification fee: $450 (plus any applicable taxes)

Practice test fee (optional): $85 (plus any applicable taxes)

Exam retake fee: $170 (plus any applicable taxes)

All fees are non-refundable.

Reschedules, Cancelation or No Show Fee:

You may reschedule your own exam appointment outside of the 72-hour (3 day) window before your scheduled exam by logging into your account. There is no charge for making changes outside of the 72-hour window.

Due to the costs incurred for each exam, it is not possible to cancel or reschedule an exam within the 72-hour (3-day) timeframe. You cannot reschedule or cancel your scheduled test session with less than 72 hours notice and will forfeit the cost for any unattended exam. Once the originally-scheduled exam time has expired, you can schedule a new exam by logging into your account.

Special Accommodations: It is your responsibility to request any special accommodations you may require through The KCS Academy for test sponsor approval and test center arrangement at least 30 days prior to the date you wish to schedule your test session. (If you require a special accommodation and have not already made arrangements with your test sponsor, please cancel this exam and contact The KCS Academy for arrangements.)

Some special accommodations, such as a translator, professional reader, or a separate testing room, may require an additional fee.

Accessing the Credential Management System

Use the “Get Certified” button on the right. New users should “Register Now.” Existing users, sign in.

Certification Process Statuses

No status (but have registered on the credential site)

Application in progress

Eligible to test

Certified

Retake after not passing exam, after required waiting period ($170 (plus any applicable taxes))

Retake after no show ($170 (plus any applicable taxes))

Expired grace period (within 30 days after expiration date, determined by the release of KCS v6)

Expired (more than 30 days after expiration date)

Retired

About the Practices v5 Certification Exam

The KCS Practices v5 Certification exam is comprised of 60-70 multiple-choice questions. The allotted time to complete the exam is two hours. Most candidates will complete the exam in 90 minutes or less.

There are no breaks during the exam.

A team of KCS practitioners developed the questions on the exam. The exams are validated through psychometric analysis.

Options for Taking the Exam

There are three options for taking the exam:

Hosted – at a proctored testing center. Locations can found be found on the Kryterion testing center website.

OLP – online proctored, the exam is taken in your office and proctored online via video. Note: A web video camera positioned to view the test taker, their screen, keyboard and work area is required. More information on OLP can be found on the Kryterion delivery website.

Client proctored – at a proctored client site or as part of a workshop

Details about each option and worldwide testing center locations are available after registering in the credentials management system.

No reference materials can be used during the exam. Exam policies and procedures are provided on the testing center web site after scheduling the exam.

The exam is based on the documentation listed in the “Education and Reading List” above. No specific product or technology is covered in the exam. Specifics about individual company content standard, roles, workflow and life cycle states that are unique to an organization are not included in the exam. The exam is based on the generic practices as described in the KCS documentation. The exam was built with the idea of answering the following question:

“If you hired someone to manage or advise you on a KCS adoption, what would you expect them to know?

Exam Results

At the completion of the exam a Pass/Fail result will be displayed. If a Fail result is displayed, the candidate will receive an email containing feedback regarding the major topics areas on which to focus before retaking the exam.

No score is given after completing a KCS Certification exam. You will receive a Pass or a Fail.

The intent of the exam is not to teach but to test if you have the minimum amount of knowledge to meet the requirements of the KCS certification you are seeking.

The pass line or cut score is not the same as a A-F grading scale. The pass line is set at the minimum amount of correct answers based on the questions on the exam.

The passing percentage was determined using psychometric calculations and statistically sound sample testing results. The % correct to pass is not released in order to protect the integrity of the exam.

If you get a large percentage of items wrong in one section of objectives, you will receive an email telling you which section to study, if you fail and don't receive any specific section information, you should study the guide for your chosen Certification. Please go to the Certification overview page http://www.thekcsacademy.net/certification/ and select your preferred certification and go to that web page where you can find the relevant study guide.

If the candidate's exam registration was paid for by the candidate's company, that company has the right to receive the Pass/Fail exam result. Registrations paid for by an individual candidate will be kept confidential.

Practice Test

The practice test provides an opportunity to get a feel for the nature and style of questions and the test navigation of the KCS Certification Exams. The practice test is taken online (the formal exam is proctored) and contains about 30 sample questions. It should take about 30-45 minutes to complete.

You will not get a pass/fail result from taking the practice test. The sample questions included on the practice test are generally easier than the formal exam so doing well in all sections is not an indication as to how well you will do on the formal exam. The practice test can be taken only once within a 30 day time period. If you would like to retake the practice test after the 30 day wait period you must complete another Practice Test Payment form. The Practice Test may be taken a maximum of three times.

You will receive registration information within 24 hours of payment approval.

Exam Retake

All certification criteria must be met within one year from payment submission to receive the certification. To retake a non-passing exam, a retake fee and a thirty-day wait period is required. Should a second retake be necessary, a retake fee and a thirty-day waiting period is required. The exam cannot be taken more than three times.

Languages

The KCS Certification is currently only available in English. Testing centers are worldwide.

Certification Renewal

Certification begins on the date of passing the online exam and ends one year after the KCS Academy releases the next iteration of KCS Practices certification.

KCS Community Rules of Conduct

Do No Harm: Be responsible and don't misrepresent yourself, claim false credentials or expertise, or give advice in a way that might cause someone harm. Don't incite or advocate harmful, derogatory or illegal practices.

Most of what the Consortium for Service Innovation and the KCS Academy Inc. creates is offered with a "right to use with attribution" agreement. Two exceptions to the right to use with attribution are the licensed materials for the KCS workshops and the contents of the Certification Exams. "Do No Harm" includes do no harm with respect to the integrity of the licensed materials and the value of the Certification Exams. You agree not to copy, distribute or discuss the questions and/or answers on any of the Academy's Certification Exams or in any way diminish the value and integrity of the Certification programs.

Sunshine Rule: Don't do anything that you would be embarrassed about having covered in an article on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. And, if in doubt, don't.

Communications: This is your network. Most people have a common-sense feel for what is and what is not appropriate in the network and generally the network polices itself. The following boundaries of acceptability or ground rules are offered for reference should the need arise.

Offensive Messages: Messages personally attacking, calling names, or otherwise harassing or being disparaging to another member, or any ethnic or religious group will be deleted. Offensive and/or vulgar language is not appropriate.

Adult Content/Illegal Activity: Messages containing sexually oriented or suggestive dialog, content, or links to such will be deleted. Messages with links to or suggesting illegal activity will also be deleted. Either could result in loss of access to the network.

Religious and Political Topics: These topics generally just cause bad feelings and do not align with the intent of the KCS network.

Other: The Academy will make an effort to remove ANY objectionable content in a reasonable time. We reserve the right to remove any content without providing a reason.

Vendor Specific Rules:
There are vendors and consultants who have products and services that may help people resolve issues or increase their success with KCS. These vendors and consultants are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the discussions. Product features or service offerings may be discussed in response to an inquiry, however, to avoid the intrusion of overt sales messages in network interactions vendors are asked to:

Restrict postings to responses to customer inquiries which may be directly resolved by your product, and please indicate specifically how your product or service may resolve the issue.

Exploiting (spamming) the members of the network for personal or company gain will not be tolerated.

Clearly specify your vendor affiliation (with more than just an email address please).

Most vendors currently participating add value, but failure to adhere to any of these rules will result in content being deleted and possible loss of access to the KCS network. (Not to mention the bad image inappropriate behavior will create for your company.)

Lack of adherence to these rules of conduct will be grounds for loss of certification status and exclusion from the KCS network at the KCS Academy's discretion.